Overview
- China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed it will suspend the recently announced tighter export controls on rare earths for one year and will examine specific plans during the pause.
- Reporting indicates the United States agreed to roll back some sanctions as part of the understanding, including reversing a rule that blacklisted subsidiaries at least 50% owned by already-listed Chinese firms.
- Beijing's announcement followed a meeting in Busan between Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump, after which Trump spoke of partial agreements while China initially offered no confirmation.
- Earlier in October China had moved to extend export controls across remaining rare earth elements, a step tied to influence over advanced semiconductor supply chains.
- Germany's DIHK urged the European Union to negotiate directly with China on access to rare earths, citing the bloc's dependency and ongoing exposure to the dispute.